Free Heart's Desire by T. J. Kline

to what you know—spreadsheets and numbers—and let me run my ranch?”
    â€œLook, Jessie, I’m sorry, okay?” Nathan’s voice drew her attention back to him. “You’re right. I agreed to stay out of the way and I didn’t do it.” She opened her mouth to speak, but he didn’t give her a chance. “The fact is, from here on out, when it comes to the horses, I will follow your orders. That being said, I can’t exactly do my job without your cooperation either. So, can we head to dinner and have that discussion you promised?”
    â€œAre you kidding me? No.”
    Her brother snickered beside him. “I warned you, Nathan.”
    She glared. “What the hell are you laughing at?”
    Justin tried for an innocent look, failing miserably. “Nothing. Just go to dinner. Take Wall Street ,here, into town and let him pick from our four-star dining establishments.”
    Nathan cocked his head at Justin’s sarcasm. “I used to eat whatever garbage you put in front of me. I’m hardly worried about a few local restaurants.”
    â€œYeah? Well, I hear your taste has changed a little since college,” Justin teased, oblivious to Jessie’s irritation with them. “Sorry, but we don’t have a place that serves caviar and champagne. You might just have to make do with beer and pizza.”
    Nathan scowled—probably, Jessie thought, because Justin’s comment hit too close to the truth. He was completely out of his element here, and they all knew it. Everything about him shouted it from the rooftops, from his expensive clothing to his inability to understand the basics of horse safety.
    He’d managed to fit in better during his first visit, when he’d been completely green and needed her to show him the ropes. Jessie couldn’t help but think about when she’d first taught him to ride, taking him to the river. How they’d spent that first afternoon trying to pretend there wasn’t an attraction between them. Or the moment she gave in and stood on tiptoe, pressing a kiss to his surprised lips. She didn’t want to think about the electric jolt of pleasure she felt when his tongue slipped past her lips. She tried to push aside the memories of him helping her unload hay and how his hands had moved over her body behind the bales, teaching her what desire felt like. She didn’t want to reminisce about the many things he’d taught her or the broken heart he’d left behind.
    Don’t even go down that road again.
    Nathan rose from the chair and moved to stand in front of Jessie, blocking Justin from her view entirely. He only took one step toward her, didn’t even touch her, but she could feel electricity instantly spark between them, sizzling down her spine. It wasn’t tension. That she would have been prepared for. This was different, as if her body was begging for his touch again.
    Nathan’s nearness sucked the air from between them, and she found it difficult to catch her breath. The look in his eyes was hot, making goosebumps break out over her arms as she remembered laying his in arms after making love, as he pressed tender kisses to her swollen lips. She saw yearning in the depths of his gaze, but it was gone in a flash, almost as if she imagined it, replaced by determination.
    Nathan ran a hand through his hair, and were she in her normal frame of mind instead of this emotional upheaval, she would have laughed at how it remained perfectly in place in spite of his rough treatment. It was just one more thing that highlighted the differences between them. A few hours of work outside had her waves wild and unruly. She and Nathan had absolutely nothing in common. Why in the world did he have to be the one man who could turn her body into a live current of sexual tension?
    â€œJessie.”
    The expectation in his voice drew her eyes to his, and she realized she’d been staring at his mouth,